a heart of gratitude.

at church on sunday a woman spoke about a study conducted where there were three groups of people writing about particular things. one group wrote about what they were grateful for, one group wrote what made them upset, and another group just wrote about random objects. it is no surprise that the group who wrote about what they were grateful for, was the happiest.

this may seem so simple, but it kind of turned on a light for me. i like to write in a personal journal, but i find that it is often when i am frustrated that i write the most. i know it is healthy to get feelings out on paper, but i wonder just how often that is necessary. this past week i have tried something called "take 20." i take 5 minutes for scripture reading, 5 for journal writing, 5 for prayer, and 5 for stretching. in those 5 minutes of journal writing, i have been finding things i am grateful for. sometimes if i need to wake up before i am ready, or if i've had a strange dream, i tend to be in a sour mood when i wake up. this morning i found that as i woke up and consciously found things to be grateful for, it helped my mood. i also find that as i allow my body to stretch, especially with the stress of balancing school with personal life, it enables my mind to be more alert and my body to feel well.

"me time" is important i know. i think where i struggle is finding just how much "me time" i need in a day. i don't necessary need 3 hours, even though sometimes i take that much. then i feel guilty that i wasn't spending it on other things, and that time is actually detrimental.

sure, i would love to spend an hour working out, an hour in prayer, an hour writing, and an hour reading scriptures, but i think 20 minutes is a grand start.